PN 1701 

r B45 , STUDY COURSE NO. 24 

Copy 1 



POPULAR STUDY COURSE 
FOR CLUBS 

Important Plays of the Seasons 1919-20 

and 1920-21 prepared especially 

for Club use 



Outlines by Specialists 



Compiled by 
MRS. A. STARR BEST and ALICE M. HOUSTON 

May 1921 



Price 25 cents 






;:.« i 



21 



! C1A652144 



POPULAR STUDY COURSE FOR CLUBS— NO. 24 



Recent Important Plays of the Seasons 1919-21 for Weekly Meetings of 
an Eight Months 9 Season 

*P N ' g If meeting bi-monthly use plays V only. 



|10 

li meeting monthly nse plays * only. 



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Grouped for theme with study outlines by noted specialists 
Compiled by Mrs. A. Starr Best and Miss Alice M. Houston 

A. POLITICS AND HISTORY. 

V 1. THE LOST LSADEE, by Lennox Robinson (Irish). 

Published in excerpt form in Current Opinion, Jan., 1920. 
Price, $0.40. 
Presented by Harris with Frank Conroy. 

This has been called the most important play in the Irish 
Theatre since the plays of Synge. An allegory of great leader- 
ship re-visiting Ireland. 

Discuss historic background, outlining the political history of 
Ireland. 

Are the representatives of the various parties well chosen 
and vividly drawn? 

Is this a thesis play? 

Has the dramatist made the story too real and too detailed 
in Irish History to be of genuine and lasting general interest? 

Does the author want to convince you that his story is true 
or is he content to leave you guessing? 

Compare with other mystery plays for method of treatment. 

Is there intentional symbolism in the use of the blind zealot 
as the unwitting destroyer of Ireland's hope? 

Study especially the exposition and note the entire treatment 
of the play as an unusually vivid example of dramatic irony. 

References: 

Douglas Hyde's Literary History of Ireland. 

Parnell and the Land League on Home Rule of 1880 in 

Present Irish Questions, by W. O'Connor Morris. 
See also Personal Bits in Ireland Since the Union, by 

Justin Huntley McCarthy, M. P. 
"Ireland," by Francis Hackett. 
See also Irish Plays and Playwrights, by Cornelius 

Weygandt. 

V 2. THE MOB, by John Galsworthy (English). 

Published by Chas. Scribner & Son. 

Price, $0.60. 

Acted by the Neighborhood Playhouse. 

Outline by John Vandervoort Sloan. 

Topics for Prepared Talks or Papers. 

The theme: 

(What is it? Could it have been presented more effectively? 
How? How does the final tableau contribute to it? Is this last 
scene ironic? Why was the play banned in 1914? Why not now?) 

The theme as applied to American conditions: 

(Would any changes contribute to a better interpretation 
from the American viewpoint? What?) 



ities 
e, or 

- ars 



The characters: 

(Do they act always as if real? Are there any complexities 
or contradictions in their natures? Does this make them more, 
less, convincing? Do they have a sense of humor? How far are 
they acted upon from without? How far do they control their 
own destiny? What events develop each most strikingly?) 

Questions for Discussion. 

Is the story convincing throughout? What quality contrib- 
utes most? Can the play be cut at any point without sacrificing 
an essential part? What is the moment of highest spiritual 
beauty? Is the climax inevitable? Is it adequately prepared for? 
How would Shaw have differed in his presentation of such a 
theme? 

•V 3. ABRAHAM LINCOLN, by John Drinkwater (English). 

Published by Houghton, Mifflin & Co. 

Price, $1.25. 

Acted by Frank McGlynn. 

Outline by John Vandervoort Sloan. 

Comparison of 

ABRAHAM LXITCOLN 

by John Drinkwater 

and 

A MAN OP THE PEOPLE 

by Thomas Dixon. 

Drinkwater's Lincoln. 

(He has given us in America a new valuation of Lincoln, the 
man. He approaches Lincoln with a clear, unbiased perspective. 
He sees him as a man of vision.) 

Dixon's Lincoln. 

(Compare the author's portrayal with Drinkwater's. Dixon's 
is the more conventional history-book "man of the people"; Drink- 
water stresses the spiritual side.) 

The Episodes of the Plays. 

(There is little feminine interest in either play. Both authors 
have been concerned more with Lincoln's relations with his fellow 
men. Does this detract from general interest in the play?) 
Mary Lincoln. 

(Compare the two portrayals of her. Dixon pictures her as 
a woman whose chief interest was in expensive clothes and other 
frivolities. Drinkwater makes her the help-mate. His is the 
more modern conception of Mrs. Lincoln; Dixon's the earlier.) 

Questions. 

Will Drinkwater's play give us a keener appreciation of Lin- 
coln? Compare it for this value with Dixon's. 

Compare these plays for character analysis with Miss Tar- 
bell's He Knew Lincoln, and with other accounts of Lincoln's 
life written by Americans. 

Discuss the plays from the point of view of accuracy of 
detail in comparison with other plays dealing with the period, 
such as Shenandoah, and Secret Service. 

Does the fact that some of the idiom of Mr. Drinkwater's 
play is British detract from its power? 

Does Mr. Dixon's prologue illuminate the character of Lin- 
coln as portrayed in the play? 

Do the lyric passages in the Drinkwater play add or detract 
from the play as a whole or are they negligible as drama? 

Which play gives one a clearer idea of Lincoln's Gettysburg 
speech? 



4. A MAN OP THE PEOPLE, by Thomas Dixon (American). 

Published by D. Appleton & Co. 

Price, $1.75. 
Acted by Thomas Dixon. 
Outline by John Vandervoort Sloan. 
See outline on Abraham Lincoln above. 

5. MABY STUART, by John Drinkwater (English). 

Published by Houghton Mifflin & Co. 
Price, $1.25. 

Acted by Claire Eames and Charles Waldron. 

Outline by Walter Prichard Eaton. 

What is the outstanding technical difference between this 
play and the same author's 'Abraham Lincoln"? How far does 
this play follow the Greek unities? Is there anything classical 
in its spirit? 

What is the underlying idea of the play? Is it a study of 
Mary as an historical person, or as a type of woman, in all ages, 
who must first find satisfaction in her love-life before she can 
function properly in her other relations? 

Did Mary historically have any opportunity to find a mate 
worthy of her? 

Was her real tragedy, historically, that she could not find 
such a mate? 

Does Drinkwater assume her "guilt" with Riccio, Bothwell, 
etc., and does he excuse it on the ground that Mary was search- 
ing for fulfillment? 

How far is Miss Clare Eames, the interpreter of Mary, justi- 
fied in saying that all women who have not found satisfactory 
fulfillment in their love life could do, would do, or have thought 
of doing what Mary did? 

Do you feel that in his drama Drinkwater has captured Mary's 
charm, and the contrast between her culture and the wild, drab 
court of Scotland? 

Technically, compare the opening of the play with the open- 
ing of Sheldon's "Romance." 

References for historical reading: 

"The Mystery of Mary Stuart," by Andrew Lang. 
Article on Mary Stuart, by A. C. Swinburne, Encyclo- 

poedia Brit. 
"The Queen's Quair," by Maurice Hewlett. 
"Chastelard" and "Bothwell," by A. C. Swinburne (poetic 
dramas). 
*V 6. HEARTBREAK HOUSE, by G. Bernard Shaw (Irish). 

Published by Brentano's. 

Price, $1.75. 

Presented by the Theatre Guild. 

Outline by Theodore B. Hinckley. 

What are the leading elements of the English conditions 
analyzed in the preface? How largely does Mr. Shaw consider 
them world conditions? How largely do these conditions prevail 
in America? (These three questions may be used as an outline 
for a leading talk or paper, or they may be considered in informal 
discussion.) 

Is the play intended to illustrate these conditions? If so, 
how successful is it? Do the characters represent important, 
major groups in society, or are they too individual or too 
abnormal to be types? (These questions may also be used as 
subjects for a paper.) 

Is this a successful acting play? Consider the plot, the 
audience's interest in one or more characters, the prevailing tone, 
the underlying idea, if there is one, and the interest of the dia- 
logue, selecting illustrative speeches. 

If possible compare the play with Tchekhov's The Cherry 
Orchard for technique, and for successful development of under- 
lying idea. 



What constructive thought is offered by the play? Compare 
this play with earlier plays of the same author. 

What is the value of the ship setting- and language? 

How largely are the incidents or the developments of the plot 
motivated by the characters or their juxtaposition? 

DANTOK, by Romain Rolland (French). 

Published by Henry Holt & Co. 
Price, $1.50. 

Outline by Barrett ' H. Clark. 

Danton is primarily the study of a character. 

It is a moving drama as well, and (for background) a picture 
of an historical epoch. 

It is by no means conventionally constructed play: certain 
critics have sought to condemn it because it is "not a play at all." 

However, until the term play is at last satisfactorily defined, 
their sort of criticism means nothing. The point to be considered 
is the effectiveness of a work intended for the stage, and not its 
conformity or non-conformity to conventional canons. 

Rolland's political and sociological bias is well known: every- 
thing he writes aims at the exposition or rectification of some 
social situation or problem, and many of his works (especially 
the late works) are nothing more than tracts. 

Can this be said of Danton? 

Compare Danton with The Wolves. 

In what way are the plays comparable — technically and as 
to the underlying idea? 

Granting that the final act of Danton is the most important 
dramatically, is there any superfluous material in the preceding 
acts? 

Wherein does Danton, a play of individual characters, wills, 
and destinies, fundamentally differ from the author's "People's 
Play" the Fourteenth, of July? 

References : 

Preface to the Fourteenth of Jtily and Danton (Holt). 
The Drama, No. 32, p. 575. 
If it is not desired to use this play, which was produced in 
Paris, substitute for it the very clever comedy, 

MR. FIM PASSES BY, by A. A. Milne (English). 

Published in excerpt form in the Theatre Magazine for Sep- 
tember, 1921. 

Price, 40 cents. 

Acted by the -Theatre Guild with Henrietta Crossman. 

AMERICANS AMONG US, by Eugene Brieux (French). 

Published in excerpt form in Current Opinion, April, 1920; 
in l'lllustration in French in full January, 1920. 
Price, $0.40 and $1.00. 

Acted by the Provincetown Players. 

Outline by Prof. Ralph Farnsworth. 

First performed in Paris, January 9, 1920. 

This play is an attempt to set forth some of the distinguish- 
ing characteristics of the American spirit of initiative in its 
conflict with French reverence of tradition. The mutual mis- 
understanding which prevailed during the months following the 
Armistice of 1918 inspired the author to preach the necessity for 
forbearance on both sides. He was broad-minded enough to avoid 
both egotism and flattery, and he produced an absorbing psycho- 
logical study, despite the fact that dramatic interest is sacrificed 
to the didactic intention of the play. 

Study: The characteristics which Brieux presents as typical 
of each race. Are they the really fundamental ones. Does the 
author, with all his sympathy, go far below the surface of 
American peculiarities? Does he neglect the lovable traits of 
the French? Does he lean to either side? 



Study: The reactions of the characters upon one another. 
Do the French characters in the play give up their traditions and 
conservatism too readily under American persuasion? Is Captain 
Smith's argument for the sacrifice of beauty and sentiment to 
utility quite convincing? Is his interest in the Charvet property 
plausible? Does Henri have any reason, aside from his love for 
Nellie, for so eagerly embracing Americanism? Is the argument 
of the workmen against the "Taylor system" convincing? In 
their unusual familiarity with French customs and institutions, 
are not the two American characters too obviously spokesmen 
for the author? Would the play be strengthened if the resistance 
to Henri came from a mother instead of from a sister? Does not 
Marie Bonain realize satisfactorily the American idea of French 
character? Is any one of the leading characters absolutely 
typical in more than one trait? Do we feel unreservedly sympa- 
thetic towards any one character? 

Study: The aim of the play. Is it likely to promote inter- 
national understanding and appreciation? What would be the 
result if less emphasis were placed upon love? Is not its lesson 
both necessary and important? 

Study: The structure of the play. How seriously does lack 
of action detract from the dramatic interest? Could the didactic 
purpose be carried out so well if the movement of the play were 
more exciting? Is the ending of the first act awkward? Is that 
of the second effective? Is Nellie's conversion at the end of the 
play well motivated? Are the incidents of the play always 
plausible? 

References: 

Current Opinion, April, 1920. 

Weekly Review, July 28, 1920; Sept. 28, 1920. 

The Living Age, Feb. 28, 1920. 

B. THE ETERNAL TRIANGLE. 

V 9. THE JEST, by Sem Benelli (Italian). 

Published in excerpt form in Current Opinion, June, 1919, and 
in French in the Supplement to l'lllustration, March, 1910. 
Price $0.45 and $1.00. 

Acted by John Barrymore. 

Outline by John Vandervoort Sloan. 

Topics for Prepared Talks or Papers. 
The type of play: 

(Is this a play dealing with modern problems in any way? 
What resemblances in method between it and Shakespearean 
drama? Does it resemble a particular Shakespearean tragedy in 
theme? What differences may be observed?") 

The theme: 

(What is it? Is it one that is typically American? Can an 
Anglo-Saxon audience fully sympathize with the point of view?) 

The characterization: 

(Are the characters real? Do they develop or remain static? 
At any point does the motivation seem weak or artificial?) 

Questions for Discussion. 

What is the big scene in the play? 

To what extent do the historical settings and costumes add 
to the illusion? 

Is the prison scene natural? 

Are there comic characters here? 

Does the first act lead inevitably to the last? 

Select from the dialogue a dozen lines of real poetry. 

Comment on the philosophy of the play. 

Is the humor rooted in the characters or the situation? 



JANE CLEGG, by St. John Ervine (Irish). 

Published by Henry Holt & Co. 
Price, $0.80. 

Presented by the Theatre Guild. 

Outline by Mrs. A. Starr Best. 

A sincere, earnest, treatment of the releasing power of inde- 
pendent means in allowing a woman to determine the working 
out of her own destiny. 

This play is especially significant as proving in its successful 
production by the Theatre Guild of New York that a sordid play 
about drab people with an unhappy ending can yet excite sufficient 
interest for its support. 

Topics for Discussion. 

1. "Would a woman of Jane's background and mental out- 
look ever have rebelled? 

2. Show how the dramatist strengthens the effect of the 
cowardice and weakness of Clegg by the quiet reticence 
of Jane. 

3. Is it good or bad art to use the children in the first act 
and never after? 

4. Do you still feel their presence through the balance of 
the play tho upstairs? 

5. Does it add anything to your understanding of Jane? 

6. Is such a despicable cad as Clegg believable? 

7. Is he well drawn and real? 

8. Study the Mother as one of the cleverest old lady char- 
acterizations in dramatic literature. 

9. Note especially how well the dramatist prepares for his 
Exciting Force, Climax and Catastrophy. 

10. Is Clegg's lying natural and well managed? 

11. Is his enmeshing of himself with each lie made to seem 
inevitable? 

12. Note how long it takes Jane to throw off the long estab- 
lished habit of enduring her selfish husband. 

Note how the dramatist makes Jane stand by Clegg thru 
his cowardice and forgery and even his unfaithfulness until she 
sees that he has jeopardized her boy's chance of a future. 

Note how cleverly the dramatist shows the Mother's baleful 
influence on Clegg. 

Note that altho the other woman never appears she is so 
vividly drawn that she seems like a character in the play. 

PASSION FLOWER, by Jacinto Benavente Y. Martinez (Spanish). 

Published by Chas. Scribner Sons (in plays tr. by J. G. Under- 
bill, 1917). 

Price, $1.50. 

Acted by Nance O'Neil. 

Outline by John Vandervoort Sloan. 
Paper: The Spanish School of Drama. 

(Discuss the plays of the Quinteros, Sierra, and others of the 
modern Spanish school.) 

Talk: Benavente and Echegaray. 

(The former is of the younger group of dramatists in Spain; 
Echegaray represents an older order. Compare El Gran Galeoto 
and The Passion Plower. 

Paper: Benavente and Moliere. 

(Benavente probably more than any other of the Spanish 
dramatists has the Gallic sense of humor. Moliere might have 
written No Smoking, or His Widow's Husband better than Bena- 
vente wrote them, but with no more feeling for comedy.) 

Talk: The Serious Benavente. 

(Benavente shows in The Passion Plower and in Saturday 
Night the opposite swing of the pendulum as compared with his 
comedies.) 



Questions, 

Is the character of the mother in The Passion Flower con~ 
sistently drawn. Is it plausible that she should have been 
unaware of her husband's infatuation for his step-daughter? 

Does Benavente excel in comedy or in tragedy? 

Discuss Benavente as to his place among modern dramatists. 

Compare Raimunda and Imperia. In both these plays, The 
Passion Plower and Saturday Night, the author has made his 
heroines women with grown daughters. Is the character of the 
daughter, Acacia, consistently drawn? 

Is it possible for a woman to hate a man and then suddenly 
discover that it is love and not hate? 

THE TREASURE, by David Pinski (Russian). 
Published by Huebsch. 

Price, $1.00. 
Presented by the Theatre Guild. 
Outline by Mrs. A. Starr Best. 

This play is one of the best examples of an interesting new 
school of dramatic literature dealing exclusively with Jewish 
problems and largely written in Yiddish. 

Note especially how the author establishes atmosphere, espe- 
cially the wonderful bits of local color. 

In spite of the absolutely Yiddish characteristics of the play, 
has it after all a wider application, carrying a note of ethnic 
value as well. 

What is the meaning of Tillie's impulses? 

Does the continually reiterated reference to the Fast day 
add anything in establishing the weakness of the characters? 

Notice how the author sustains our suspense throughout the 
play even tho we know inevitably that the finding of the dog's 
grave will discover no further treasure. 

Does the use of the idiot boy as the one who holds their fate 
in his hand in the knowledge of the secret grave add to the 
subtlety. 

Is the author grinning at humanity? or pitying it? 

How does the epilogue answer this? Note the complete circle 
of the play — at the end the original finders and revellers in the 
treasure are eager only to get back to their first position. 

Compare the last act with other grave yard scenes as Maeter- 
linck's Blue Bird, etc. 

Does it seem real? Is there any special value in the un- 
assigned speeches in this act? 

Where do you find any other use of this method in dramatic 
literature? 

Discuss the technique, noting especially the adroit exposition 
and the sense of inevitability of the action. 

Is the play pyramidal or catastrophic? 

Notice that the exciting force — Tillie's desire to dream 
dreams — is established in the first few pages. 

Study especially Dr. Lewisohn's introduction to the trans- 
lation. 

THE WOMAN OF BRONZE, b}' Henry Kistemaecker and Eugene 
Delard, adapted by Paul Kester. 
Published in French only. 
Acted by Margaret Anglin. 
Outline by John Vandevoort Sloan. 

Paper: The Structure of the Play. 

(The play is of foreign — French — origin. (La Rivale.) In 
many ways it retains in its translation the foreign form, although 
Mr. Kester in his adaptation has changed the locale to America 
and made the "curtains" more conformative to the Anglo-Ameri- 
can drama.) 



Talk: The Theme of the Play. 

(Discuss the question of the right of the married artist to 
seek inspiration anywhere he can find it. Do you think the 
Continental standard in this respect differs from our own?) 

Paper: Vivian Hunt. 

(Discuss the character of the wife; her attitude toward her 
husband, the artist, and what he considers his greatest achieve- 
ment; her attitude toward her cousin.) 

Talk: The Character of Leonard Hunt. 

(Compare him with his and Vivian's friend, Patrick Burke. 

They represent in Mr. Kester's adaptation, at least, opposite 

points of view. Leonard gives free rein to his infatuation for 

his wife's cousin; Patrick worships his friend's wife but remem- 

' bers he is a friend.) 

Questions. 
- Do you consider Vivian responsible in any way for her hus- 
band's defection? If so, how? 

Is Vivian's action in the last act consistent with real life? 
Compare the play with D'Annunzio's La Gioconda. 
Do you consider the play in its adapted form an addition to 
America drama? Why or why not? 

What motivates Leonard's attitude in the last act, love for 
Vivian; contrition; or a desire to go on with his statue? 

(If it is impossible to use this French play, substitute:) 
XsIG-HTIN', by Frank Bacon and Wincheil Smith (American). 

Published in excerpt form in Current Opinion, October, 1918. 
Price, $0.50. 

Acted by Frank Bacon. 

Compare with other important character plays — as those of 
Jefferson and Chevalier. 

Does the play suffer for being devised chiefly to exploit a 
character part, or is the story sufficiently related and interesting? 

Discuss as a typical American play. Would it have general 
interest elsewhere? 

Does it depend entirely upon the chief actor? or is the 
character sufficiently striking to be enduring? 

Is this a novel and original idea? Is it cleverly worked out? 

Compare the courtroom scene with other famous scenes, such 
as in Madam X, On Trial, The Legend of Leonora, and Common 
Clay. In what ways is this better? in what ways inferior? Note 
how the dramatist arranges for Bill, the "lead" to have the main 
part even in the trial and conduct the case. 

C. A SOCIAL ISSUE. 

•V 14. THE SHIN GAME, by John Galsworthy (English). 

Published by Chas. Scribner & Sons. 
Price, $1.00. 

Outline by Mrs. A. Starr Best. 

A thoughtful dramatic and uncommonly interesting play 
showing the conflict between a staid, well bred family of cen- 
turies, standing and the vulgar aggressive newly rich newcomers 
who threaten to demolish the countryside. 

The theme of the play deals with the axiom that "he who 
touches pitch becomes defiled." 

This is the first substantial popular success of Galsworthy's 
and is written with unusually good technique. 

Discussion for Structure. 

Notice the quality of the technique and its close resemblance 
to Pinero's best methods. 

Show how this play is particularity characteristic of this 
author in not taking sides and compare with Strife and Silver 
Box for this quality. 



Discuss the devices used to keep your interest and your 
sympathy evenly between Hillcrests and Hornblowers, and show- 
how the dramatist does this. 

How does he offset the natural tendency to sympathize with 
the Hillcrests preponderantly. 

Is the play strengthened for resisting a "Happy ending?" 

Why is the third scene weak? 

Discuss for Ethics. 

"Why did the Hillcrests become contaminated when their 
original purpose was to protect legitimately their helpless depend- 
ents? 

What is the "pitch that besmirches them"? 

How does the dramatist get your sympathy for the unlovely 
Hornblowers? 

How far must culture and aristocracy go to allow aggressive 
bounders a fair chance? 

Is it ever right to use dishonorable means even to accomplish 
an honorable end? 

It is claimed that this is a war play symbolic of the great 
conflict. 

Is this theory tenable? 

Show how the symbolism might be worked out with Eng- 
land, representing the aristocracy of the nations, coming to the 
defense of Belgium, the supplanted helpless family holding a 
pledge for immunity, against an aggressive relentless, upstart 
Germany, and in the conflict becoming besmirched with the 
enemy's own methods. 

Compare with Heartbreak House for war symbolism. 

MIXED MARRIAGE, by St. John Ervine (Irish). 
Published by Macmillan. (In four Irish Plays.) 

Price, $1.00. 
Presented by the Theatre Guild. 
Outline by John Vandervoort Sloan. 

Topics for Prepared Talis or Papers. 
The theme: 

(What is it? How is it developed? Is it necessarily tragic? 
Is it sentimentally treated?) 

The characters: 

(Who is the outstanding figure of the play? What character 
has the most philosophy, the greatest sense of humor, and the 
finest tact? Are there any unnecessary characters? Cf. the 
characterization of Mrs. Rainey with Desdemona, Imogen, Cor- 
delia, Juliet and Portia. What differences? 

The comic genius of Ervine: 

(Cf. with Shaw or "Wilde. Is this comic element here inherent 
in character, situation, or dialogue?) 

Questions for Discussion. 

What is the underlying philosophy of the play? 

Is there poetic imagination here? 

Is the last act as convincing as the others? Why (not)? 

Is this a great play? 

What is its chief merit? 

Are mixed marriages necessarily unhappy? Why (not)? 

THE LETTER OP THE LAW (THE RED ROBE), by Eugene 
Brieux (French). 
Published by Brentano's. 

Price, $1.50. 
Acted by Lionel Barrymore. 
Outline by John Vandervoort Sloan. 



Brieux the Dramatist: 

(Compare Brieux and Bernstein as to their qualities as 
dramatists. Brieux writes with a purpose always. He is more 
concerned with his thesis than with the form of his play. Bern- 
stein writes obviously for the theatre. Which is more successful 
as a matter of good drama? Bernstein's plays have been much 
more successful in production than Brieux's. Is this due to their 
themes or to their construction?) 

Brieux the Beformer: 

(All of Brieux's plays have been concerned with, from his 
point of view, some social ailment. Of his best known ones, The 
Three Daughters of M. Dupont, played here some years ago by 
the late Laurence Irving, deals with certain phases of the mar- 
riage question; Maternity is a plea for the protection of mother- 
hood; Damaged Goods has to do with sex education; The Bed 
Robe with the abuse of legal power. Discuss the conclusions he 
arrives at in these plays and what, if any, their value is as 
documents of reform.) 

Brieux the Realist: 

(Are his characters real men and women? Are their reactions 
normal? Does he not neglect character study in his absorption 
in his theme? Would his characters appear more real if he wrote 
of them in story rather than in play form?) 

Brieux the Humanitarian; 

(Discuss Brieux's plays from the humanitarian point of 
view. Do you feel that he is sincerely interested in men and 
women as much as in human institutions, or does he "like to 
hear himself talk?" Is he anarchistic or socialistic?) 

Questions. 

Discuss the character of Yanetta. 

What is Brieux's place among modern French dramatists? 

Is The Bed Robe technically good drama? 

Does Brieux work out his problem logically and to a satis- 
factory conclusion? 

Compare it as to structure with The Three Daughters of M. 
Dupont and Damaged Goods. Which is the best play and why? 

After the legal abuses pictured in The Bed Kobe shall have 
been remedied, has the play sufficient merit as good drama to 
make it live? 

Do you consider the drama an effective medium for remedying 
social evils? 

THE FOWBB OP DARKNESS, by Tolstoi (Russian). 
Published by Boni & Liveright. 

Price $.85. 
Acted by The Theater Guild. 
Outline by Jack Randall Crawford. 

Topics for Prepared Talks or Papers. 



(Choose the material from the play itself.) 
Tolstoi as an apostle of Christian brotherhood: 

(A simple explanation of his point of view.) 
The preacher as artist: 

(A discussion of whether the preacher should essay art or 
the artist preaching.) 

Questions. 

What is the "Power of Darkness?" 
Is there any parallel for this play in American life? 
What are the characteristics that seem to you most peculiarly 
Russian? 

The character of the Russian peasant? 



Published in "Plays," translated by Louise and Aylmer Maude 
Constable and Co. 

V 18. EMPEROR JONES, by Eugene O'Neill (American). 

Published by Theatre Arts Magazine, Jan., 1921, or Boni & 
Liveright. 

Price $.75 for magazine or $2.00 for Book. 

Acted by Charles Gilpin. 

Outline by Walter Prichard Eaton. 

What is the theme of this play? 

Do you feel that the author was making a racial study? — or 
seeking to dramatize the emotion of fear? — or both? 

Do you, or not, feel that the author has escaped the monot- 
ony that lurks in a play which is so nearly a monologue? If he 
has, what are some of the means employed to attain variety? 

Is the language of the play satisfactory? i. e. is it in keeping 
with the character and, at the same time, does it rise to the 
poetic or emotional demands of the drama? If not, in what 
direction does it fail? 

Compare this play with Stephen Crane's story, "The Badge of 
Courage." In what respects does each gain by its chosen medium? 

What other work has Eugene O'Neill done for the theatre? 
What are its general characteristics? How would you class him 
among American dramatists? 

Technically: — What is the value of the tom-tom beat heard 
throughout the play? 

19. THE FAITHFUL, by John Masefield (English). 
Published by Macmillan Co. 

Price $1.25. 
Acted by The Theater Guild. 
Outline by Jack Randall Crawford. 

Topics for Prepared Talks or Papers. 
The exotic theme and its dramatic purpose: 

(An analysis of the question "do we believe in a story set 
in a remote time?".) 

"The Faithful" as an example of tragfedy: 

("Character is fate" — apply this to the tragedy in question.) 

Beauty as an element of tragedy: 

(A discussion of its influence upon the emotional effect of 
tragedy.) 

Questions. 

Is the situation one possible in contemporary American life? 
Why is the scene laid in Japan? 

Does the structure conform to that of classic or Elizabethian 
tragedy? 

How is the illusion of the play obtained? 

Published by Wm. Heineman, New York. 

D. A QUESTION OF PRINCIPLE or a Character Issue. 

•V 20. JOHN FERGUSON, by St. John Ervine (Irish). 
Published by Macmillan Co. 

Price $1.50. 
Presented by The Theater Guild. 
Outline by Jack Randall Crawford. 

Topics for Prepared Talks or Papers. 
Traffic Irony: 

(Does irony add to the pity and terror of tragedy, or does 
its bitterness interfere with the illusion of truth?) 



Is John Ferguson's theory of life a true one? 

(Discuss the practical aspects of the doctrine of non-resis- 
tance. Find, the bibical passages that support this theory.) 

Questions. 

What is the accident of circumstance that brings about the 
tragedy? 

What is the function in the play of the half-witted Jimmie 
Caesar? 

Compare the structure of this play with that of any other 
tragedy with which you are familiar. What resemblance and 
differences do you note? 

Why is it a "good play" — that is to say, why did audiences 
flock to see it? 

21. MABYROSE, by J. M. Barrie (English). 

Published in excerpt form in Current Opinion (July, 1920). 
Price $.40. 
Acted by Ruth Chatterton. 
Outline by Jack Randall Crawford. 

Topics for Prepared Talks or Papers. 
Modern mysticism in contemporary drama: 

(What influence are present day spiritual theories and psy- 
cho-analysis having upon playwrights?) 

The spiritual meaning of the play: 

(An analysis of the evidence in support of your theory.) 

Why the public likes "Mary Bose": 

(An analysis of Barrie's powers over his audiences.) 

Questions. 

In what respects does the structure for this play differ from 
the technique of the so-called "well made" play? 

Does this play gain or lose by using an episode telling of 
the story? 

What is Barrie's theory of the after life? 

What makes the play dramatic? 

Does it suffer from too much theory? 

*V 22. BEYOND THE HOBXZON, by Eugene O'Neill (American). 
Published by Boni & Liveright. 

Price $1.50. 
Acted by Richard Bennett. 
Outline by Jack Randall Crawford. 

Topics for Prepared Talks or Papers. 
Mr. ©'Weill and the American farm: 

(A comparison of Mr. O'Neill's portrayal with a typical 
known case.) 

Pessimism in contemporary drama: 

(Why is this more apt to be characteristic of Continental 
than of American drama? 

Is Mr. O'Neill an exception in his point of view? 

Mr. O'Neill's portrayal of American types: 

(An analysis of his character from the point of determining 
the fidelity of the portrayal.) 

Questions. 
What lies "Beyond the Horizon?" 

Is a rainbow more or less beautiful because its end has no 
pot of gold? 



What is the dramatic effectiveness of simplicity? 
Are the characters real or exaggerations? 

Why, in your opinion, have the audiences been divided in 
their opinions in the reception of this play? 

V 23. THE FAMOUS MRS. FAIR, by James Forbes (American). 

Published by Geo. H. Doran. 

Price $2.00. 

Acted by Blanche Bates and Henry Miller. 

Outline by Alice C. D. Riley. 

The Famous Mrs. Fair by James Forbes, (author of The 
Chorus Lady) is described as a serio-comedy which exploits in a 
modern way the old theme of a double standard. Although, to 
quote Current Opinion, — "a wife's craving for a career cannot 
in any circumstances be classed as a sin — nor a husband have 
the right to be unfaithful simply because his wife embraced an 
an opportunity to go to California," yet Mr. Forbes actually does 
make Fair say: "You don't think my affair with Mrs. Brice was a 
greater sin against our love than your craving for a career," 
and with the big bulk of his audience "got away with it" every 
time. It is interesting to note the methods by which the play- 
wright manages to so manipulate the sympathies of his audience 
against all common-sense and clear thinking. This is especially 
noteworthy as even in Act I he shows Fair to be a small-minded 
man of supremely selfish motivation, — "I'm guyed enough by the 
crowd as it is;" and in the exposition he is careful to show us 
that Mrs. Fair has not only done big things in France but has 
been "decorated for bravery," and that her motive in undertaking 
the tour originally was to get money "for reconstruction work." 
In spite of all this, there can be no question but that the usual 
preponderance of sympathy was with Fair and against her. 
Why was this? 

Is this bias due to the conventional standards of society, 
or is it the art of the playwright? 

If you think the playwright has a hand in it, how do you 
think he has done it? Which side of the case is principally ex- 
ploited in the play? How would you write it to exploit the other 
side? 

Why is it a comedy? Do the characters motivate the plot? 
Does it take the circular form, swinging back to first position 
at the end, but with every one's eyes open to his own folly? 
Where does the play center? As a matter of real life, do you 
think the fact of a mother's trip to California weighed against 
an unfaithful father would be a more disastrous factor in a 
daughter's life? 

What grade of man do j-ou take Fair to be? Would his 
position be the position of the average American man? Would 
the average American woman feel the same resentment over 
acclaim given to a husband who had acquitted himself honorably 
in the war? Is this difference due to real or conventional causes? 
How early in the play is the divorce note sounded? In what 
key? Is this early establishment of the key of comedy cleverly 
handled? 

Note the dramatic value of the change in clothes, language 
and manner which Sylvia displays early in Act III. How much 
information does this instantly give you? Is her acceptance of 
a man like Gillette natural? Is she convincing? Is all your 
sympathy with Sylvia? Do you sympathize with Fair? With 
Mrs. Fair? Do you think the Fairs may expect a happy future? 
Has this play an especial bearing on American life? 
Is it a good study of American types? What are the values 
you get from it? Do you rank it highly as a comedy? 

• \ 24. DEAR BRUTUS, by J. M. Barrie (English). 

Published by Chas. Scribner & Sons, X. Y. Price, $1.00. 
Excerpts Current Opinion (Feb., 1919). Price, $.45. 
Outline by Jack Randall Crawford. 
Acted by William Gillette. 



Topics for Prepared Papers or Talks. 
On telling* the truth whimsically: 

(Consideration of Lob's plan and its result. What inferences 
do you draw?) 

The meaning" of the title in reference to the play: 

(See the passage in Shakespeare's "Julius Ceaser" whence 
the title is derived. 

Events that happen on mid-summer's day at night: 

(The charm of the play perhaps depends in part upon our 
beliefs still surviving from our pagan ancestors.) 

Questions. 

"What do you understand the "dream child" to mean? 
Does the ending contradict the theme of the play? 
What is Mr. Lob's theory of a house party? 
Is Sir James Barrie right about a second chance in life? 

DEBURAU, by Sacha Guitry (French). 

Adapted and translated by Granville Barker (English). 
Published by Putnam. 

Price $2.00. 
Acting by Lionel Atwill. 
Outline by Jack Randall Crawford. 

Topics for Prepared Talks or Papers. 
The problem of translating* — a comparison of the original text 
with Mr. Granville Barker's English version. 

(Illustrate by using parallel passages.) 
The character play: 

(A discussion of the play focussed upon a single character. 

A comparison of Dehurau's lines on the art of acting with Ham- 
let's advice to the players. 
(Points of agreements and differences.) 

Questions. 
How does the setting contribute to the charm of the play? 
The pathos of Deburau. 

Why do we sentimentalize our anecdotes of the stage? 
"The King is dead — long live the King." How does Deburau 
illustrate this theme? 

MISS I1UI1U BETT, by Zona Gale (American). 

Published in Excerpts Current Opinion, April, 1921, $.35. 
Acted by Carrol McComas. 
Outline by Walter Prichard Eaton. 

Which do you consider the truer and more effective work of 
art, the play or the book? Why? 

Are the people of the play true small town types, or are they 
exceptional and exaggerated? 

Do you find the play appealing as a social picture, perhaps 
a satire, or as an emotional study of a single woman — Lulu? 
Or both? 

How far do you consider that the omitted scene between 
Lulu and her husband in the South the scene of his 
confession to her and her departure for home — was really 
an "obligatory scene" (see William Archer's "Principles 
of Playmaking") ? Would the play be stronger if this 
scene had not been omitted? Do you feel that you want 
to go off with Lulu on her honeymoon, and do you have 
an unsatisfied feeling at being compelled to wait for her 
return? If so, does that indicate a dramatic weakness in 
the play? 



Would the play be better, more truthful and invigorating, 
if it did not have the traditional "happy ending," so called, but 
if, instead, Lulu merely achieved the courage and confidence to 
go out into the world, her own mistress? 

Technically: — What is the value of the duplicated openings 
of Acts II and III? Does the play rely on knowledge of the 
book to bridge certain gaps, or does it stand on its own feet? 

27. ENTER MADAME, by Gilda Varesi (Italian Actress) and Dolly 
Byrne. 

Published by Putnam. 

Price $1.75. 

Acted by Gilda Varesi. 

Outline by Walter Prichard Eaton. 

Is this a vehicle play for the actress? If so, how far are the 
other characters subordinated? Are they made important enough 
to keep the drama well balanced? 

How far does the play seem artificial, by creating situations 
to show off the actress, or how far do those situations seem 
psychologically truthful and naturally developed? 

What situations in the play can you trace back to other 
plays in the past? (Compare "The Concert," "The Great Lover," 
and "Romance," for example.) 

Technically: — Study the preparation for the entrance of 
Madame. Is her character sufficiently established before she 
appears? Are you "worked up" to the proper pitch of curiosity? 
On the other hand, does what precede her entrance seem 
obviously a preparation for her? How far does the picturesque- 
ness of her entrance, her train of retainers, etc., conspire to the 
interest of the play? Study the appeal made to the eye even in 
a play of this nature. 

What is the value in the play of the character of the son? 
Of the banquet scene? 

V 28. IiIZiIOM, by Franz Molnar. j 

Published by Boni & Liveright. 

Price $1.75. 
Acted by Joseph Schildkraut. 
Outline by Walter P. Eaton. 

How does this play differ from the ordinary drama in con- 
struction? 

Are the episodes sufficiently connected to give you a sense 
of dramatic progression, and to keep your curiosity and interest 
awake ? 

What are the advantages of the episodic method? 

Note the realistic style in which the play is written. Does 
this make the fantastic element more, or less, appealing to you? 

Is Liliom himself a character stud3 r , or is he a quaint 
conceit of the author, intended to carry some symbolical idea, 
like Peer Gynt? Or is it possible that he is both, the latter 
resulting naturally from the author's affection for his creation? 

What, to you, is the message of the play? 

Did Liliom have to go back to hell? 

Study particularly the way in which the humor, the irony, 
the cruelty, and the tenderness and beauty in this play are fused 
together. Is there any "comic relief," in the usual sense? Isn't 
this constant blending of masculine harshness, of pert humor, 
and feminine tenderness and wistful devotion a great element 
in the play's charm? 

Do you find such blending in second-rate or "machine-made" 
drama? 

How far are the picturesque setting and characters of the 
play an element in its stage success — i.e., the appeal to the eye 
and the appeal of novelty? 



DIFF'RENT, by Eugene O'Neill (American). 

Published by Boni and Liveright (in volume with Emperor 
Jones). 

Price $2.00. 

Acted by Edward Ellis. 

Outline by Mrs. A. Starr Best. 

A study in the mental effect of disappointed ideals and 
inhibited emotions, leading to a reversion to a complete antithesis 
through mental derangement. 

Study the outlining of the characters as typical sea-folk. 
Are they convincing and natural? 

Notice the importance of the stage sets and their place in 
supplying the exposition, including their final importance in con- 
veying the mental attitude of Emma at the close. On this account 
would the play be more convincing in action than in reading? 
Compare with "Fortune Hunter," "Beyond Horizon" and "Mile- 
stones" for this point. 

Is the change between acts I and II too sudden to carry you 
with it? Does the unanticipated violence of the change cause 
too great a revolt to allow for the necessary sympathetic analysis 
to make it convincing? 

Does Caleb's end seem consistent with his character? 

Would Emma, the passionless idealist of the first act, ever 
have reverted, even under mental derangement, to the pitiful 
antithesis of the second act? Does the dramatist go too far in 
attempting to produce his ironic antithesis? 

Is the play weakened in unity by the loss of the many 
characters of the first act, or is this compensated by the frequent 
reference to them? 

Discuss the unusual effect of a two-act play. Is it explained 
by the great lapse of time? What other two-act plays can you 
think of to compare for structure? By a study of these can you 
note any special technique for the two-act play? 

Is Emma's unlikeness to her environment sufficiently ex- 
plained by the frequent references to her reading? 

Does the continued reiteration of the title, irritate or convince 
you? 



E. MELODRAMA. 



30. THE GHEEIT GODDESS, by Wm. Archer (English). 
Published by Knopf. Price, $2.00. 

Acted by George Arliss. 

Outline by Jack Randall Crawford. 

Topics for Prepared Talks or Papers. 
A Defense of Melodrama: 

(See Wm. Archer's "Playmaking" — A Manual for Craftsmen.) 
The technique of Melodrama: 

(The factors, — plot, character and situation in relation to 
problem of melodrama.) 

The Stock Situations of Melodrama: 

(Self sacrifice, conflict between love and duty, physical peril, 
the eleventh hour rescue, etc.) 

Characterization in Melodrama: 

(The hero — the heroine — the villian — the adventuress — the 
comic relief, the importance of the minor characters.) 

Questions. 

How does Mr. Archer reveal his intimate knowledge of the 
theatre ? 

Is the solution of the situation plausible? 

How is suspense induced and maintained? How is surprise 
used? 



Goddess"? 
F. PLEASANT COMEDY. 



How does the setting contribute to the interest of the story? 

Is the rajah a villian with a difference? 

What is the secret for the popular appeal of "The Green 



ADAM AND EVA, by George Middleton and Guy Bolton 
(American). 
Published in excerpt form in Current Opinion for June, 1920. 

Price $.40. 
Acted by Otto Kruger. 
Outline by John V. Sloan. 

Paper: A picture of American Life, 

(This play was hailed by New York critics as a great 
American comedy because it was so native in character, ideas and 
detail. What characters and what ideas are not found in foreign 
life?) 

Talk: Comedy and Farce. 

(What features of the play do not spring from character 
relations? What features are heightened so that they have a 
farce quality? Is a combination of the two forms effective? 
Compare with Call the Doctor. 

Paper: American Last Acts. 

(Is the value of the play as a picture of life injured by 
the rapidity with which difficulties are smoothed away? Is this 
act as forceful as the others? Compare with last acts of other 
American and foreign plays.) 

Talk: The Themes in American Farce-Comedy. 

(The use of serious themes in these plays is increasing. 
Compare with Banker Bean for value of theme, care in develop- 
ment of it, and effectiveness of treatment.) 

Questions. 

What are the wholly artificial or untrue elements of the 
play? 

Compare the farming in this play with the preserve-making 
in Turn to the Bight. 

Characterize Mrs. King. Is she a familiar type? 

Discuss American well-to-do youth as portrayed in the play. 

What is the value of the character of Lord Gordon? 

Compare this play as American drama with Mama's Affair 
and Clarence. 

THB FIBST YEAB, by Frank Craven (American actor). 

Published in excerpt form in Current Opinion for March, 1921. 

Price $.35. 
Acted by Frank Craven. 
Outline by Walter P. Eaton. 

Is this a vehicle play? If so, how far are the subordinate 
parts mere feeders, or are they truthfully individualized? 

On what is the humor based? — i. e., on situation, dialogue, 
character development, observation of life? (Remember 
that when speeches which have amused you in the 
theatre, either fade from your memory later, or, if quoted, 
do not seem amusing, it is a pretty sure sign that the 
humor resides in the situations and interplay of charac- 
ter, not in the mere dialogue.) 



JAN l{ ,fl 



* ** . r itf* 



Is the observation in this play — such as the domestic details 
preceeding the dinner party — truthful? Does it seem to you 
satirical? Has it any value beyond the moment? 

Compare the picture of small town life here with that in 
"Miss Lulu Bett." Which seems the more nearly typical and 
American? Does Craven laugh at or with his characters? Which 
do you consider the more effective method? 

Technically: — Compare with "Miss Lulu Bett" — which play 
moves more rapidly and directly, with the greater suspense? 
Try to trace the technical development back of "The First Year" 
from 19th century American farce. Is it technically one with 
"Seven Keys to Baldpate," "Turn to the Right," etc., or is it 
European in origin? 

Realizing the difficulty of securing the volumes necessary for such an 
extended study course, the Drama League has assembled several loan libraries 
containing the volumes necessary for this course -which will be rented to 
circles and groups in small towns for $15.00 plus express charges. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

027 211 292 7 



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